Change your keyboard language in System Settings

Open System Settings on your Mac, then go to Keyboard in the left sidebar. Click Input Sources, then click the plus sign at the bottom left. A list of languages appears — select the one you want, then click Add. Your new language keyboard is now installed and ready to switch to.

Once you have added a language, a flag or language icon appears in the menu bar at the top right of your screen. Click it to switch between your installed keyboards. You can also hold down the Option key and click the flag to cycle through languages without opening the menu.

If you want to remove a language you no longer use, go back to Keyboard > Input Sources, select the language in the list, and click the minus sign at the bottom left.

Key Takeaways

  • Open System Settings, select Keyboard, then Input Sources to add a new language keyboard.
  • A language flag or icon appears in the top-right menu bar once you add a keyboard, and you click it to switch languages.
  • Hold Option and click the flag to cycle through keyboards without opening the menu.
  • Remove unused languages by selecting them in Input Sources and clicking the minus sign.
  • Your Mac remembers which keyboard you used last in each process, so you may not need to switch every time.

Use keyboard shortcuts to switch faster

If you switch languages often, a keyboard shortcut is faster than clicking the menu bar. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts (at the top of the window). Click Input Sources in the left sidebar, then check the box next to Select the previous input source. A shortcut key combination appears — usually Control + Space or Command + Space.

You can change this shortcut by clicking the field next to it and pressing the keys you want to use instead. Choose something you will not accidentally trigger while typing — Control + Space works well because few programs use it. Once set, you can press that combination to jump between your two most-used keyboards without touching the mouse.

Set a default keyboard for specific applications

macOS can remember which keyboard you prefer in each app. If you always write in French in one program and English in another, your Mac learns this and switches automatically when you open each one. This happens without any setup — just use the language you want in each app, and the system remembers it.

If your Mac is not switching automatically, or if you want to force a specific app to always use one language, you can set it manually. Open the app, switch to the keyboard you want it to use, then go to System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources. Look for the option to set a default input source per process — this varies by macOS version, but the setting is usually in the Input Sources pane.

Add special characters and accents to your keyboard

If you only need a few accented letters or special characters (like é, ñ, or ü) but do not want to switch your whole keyboard, you can hold down a key to see accent options. Press and hold any letter key — a small menu appears with accented versions. Click the one you want, or press the number shown next to it.

For languages that use different alphabets entirely (Greek, Arabic, Chinese, Russian), you will need to add the full keyboard. But for European languages that use mostly the same letters as English, the accent menu is often enough. You can also go to System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources and add an ABC - Extended keyboard, which lets you type accents using key combinations like Option + E, then E for é.

Troubleshoot when a keyboard language will not appear

If you try to add a language and it does not show up in the list, your Mac may not have the language files installed. Go to System Settings > General > Language & Region and check whether your language is listed there. If it is not, click the plus sign, find your language, and click Add. Your Mac may need to read files, which can take a few minutes.

After the language is added to your system, go back to Keyboard > Input Sources and try adding it again. It should now appear in the list. If you still do not see it, restart your Mac and try once more — sometimes the system needs to refresh before a newly installed language becomes available.

Understand the difference between language and keyboard layout

Your Mac's system language (the language menus and buttons appear in) is separate from your keyboard language. You can have your Mac menus in English but type in French, or vice versa. The keyboard language controls what characters appear when you press each key — the system language controls what language the operating system itself speaks to you in.

If you want to change the language your Mac menus appear in, go to System Settings > General > Language & Region and select a different language from the top dropdown. This is different from adding a keyboard language, though you can do both at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use two keyboard languages at the same time?

Yes. Add both languages in System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources, then use the flag menu or keyboard shortcut to switch between them. Your Mac keeps both active and remembers which one you used last in each process.

What if my keyboard shortcut does not work?

Some applications override the system keyboard shortcut. Try a different shortcut combination in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Input Sources. If the problem continues, restart your Mac and check that the shortcut is still enabled in that same menu.

Will changing my keyboard language change my Mac's spell-check language?

Usually yes. When you switch to a different keyboard language, most applications automatically switch their spell-checker to match. You can override this in individual apps — look for a language or spell-check option in the app's preferences or the Edit menu.

How do I type in multiple languages in the same document?

Switch keyboards using the flag menu or your keyboard shortcut. Most applications (like Pages, Word, or Google Docs) let you type in one language, switch keyboards, and continue typing in another language in the same document without any problem.

Can I remove the language flag from my menu bar?

Yes. Go to System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources and uncheck the box next to "Show Input menu in menu bar." You can still switch keyboards using the keyboard shortcut, but the flag will no longer appear at the top of your screen.